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Minivan Reporter - Blurbs from the Burbs!
ksibley | | 
0
Nothing says mom like minivan! Honk if you see me--squealing into the school pick-up line, dashing down to the Farmer’s Market or running around your town covering the local beat for Bay Area Kids . I am happy to report that there are tons of kid-oriented products, programs and services right here in the East Bay. We are fortunate to have so many educational and enrichment opportunities available for our families. Here’s a snapshot of some of the noteworthy destinations that I’ve discovered along my travels.
Happy Campers Close to Home
Summer will be here before you know it. If you are looking for a unique summer program for your son or daughter, you don’t need to look very far. Take for example SewNow! Fashion Studio. Imagine a huge room filled with Brother sewing machines ready to whiz, whirl, hum and hem. Summer campers can learn about fashion design and the art of sewing. The brainchild of fashion designer, Susan Goldie, SewNow! Fashion Studio brings the craft of sewing back into the mainstream, right off Lafayette’s main street on Moraga Road. It’s a great place for birthday parties or an unforgettable mother-daughter date too. Come create your own fashion keepsake and see why families are saying SewNow! is “so cool” and au so courant!
Another camp idea that the kids are just crazy about is Mad Science. We were first introduced to Mad Science when we threw a Mad Science birthday party for my son, Henry, and his preschool pals years ago. Talk about great chemistry! Henry still fondly recalls wearing that white lab coat and making slime with his friends. Today, he fancies himself the next Einstein (with nicer hair) and is taking a NASA-approved Mad Science enrichment program at his school to learn all about space—complete with take-home projects that he loves to build. As the world’s leading science and enrichment provider, Mad Science covers a variety of science-related topics to engage the kids. Check out your local community center or YMCA for Mad Science Summer Camp programs near you.
Keeping it Green
The Bay Area is rich with green ideas and wonderful places for eco-friendly shopping, organic dining and environmental caretaking. Your local Recycling Center offers a great opportunity to teach the kids about recycling. Both of my kids have taken the lead on collecting our family’s soda cans. Once a month, they go off with dad to the Recycling Center and come home with a nice chunk of change from the redemption value of the cans. You’d be surprised how it all adds up! This is a great way for the kids to take responsibility, participate in recycling and earn their keep to help save for that Wii! From a reuse perspective, check out Freecycle.org, a web-based network to promote waste reduction and help save the landscape from being taken over by landfills. This nifty little organization provides individuals and non-profits an electronic forum to recycle/ give. You never know what will be up for grabs or who will take your stuff for free. I also am very fond of the Treehouse Green Gifts on College Avenue in Berkeley. They have a gorgeous selection of eco-friendly gifts that are recycled, organic, handmade, or fairly-traded, or a combination of all four. A special kids’ section offers quality toys and there are sumptuous items for mom and new baby too. Don’t forget your local farmers’ markets and Farm Fresh to You, which delivers organic produce to your door, direct from the farm. For the home, SunClean Carpet Care, offers organic and non-toxic treatments to clean your carpets and upholstery—safe for children, pets and planet Earth. The Child Day School in San Ramon has just started its garden education program. The garden classroom will give its preschoolers hands-on opportunities to plant seeds and work the soil as well as learn about parts of the plants and where our food comes from. Do I smell zucchini bread?
New Places & Upcoming Events
This just in…Color Me Mine opened the doors to a brand new studio in downtown Lafayette in the La Fiesta Square. This paint-it-yourself ceramics studio lets customers design and paint their pieces and pick them up later after the studio glazes and fires their works of arts. I’ve also just learned of a new retail shop—Monkey Bars-- for baby clothing, gear and furniture on Park Street in the charming island city of Alameda. You’ll find lots of organic cottons and gender neutral items in this fun, hip store, which is great for baby shower shopping. Congratulations to MOCHA (Museum of Children’s Art) in Oakland. This wonderful non-profit will be celebrating 20 years of children’s art with a birthday bonanza, featuring an art-cade of fun for kids of all ages. Located in Swan’s Marketplace on 9th Street, MOCHA manages children’s art exhibitions and also offers studio art workshops and camps. Visit www.mocha.org to check out their online gallery and get details on their birthday celebration, slated for April 26, from noon-5pm. Admission is free. Speaking of free… Camp Kesem, a UC Berkeley student-run program that offers a free summer camp for kids who have or had a parent with cancer, is now enrolling for their camp in August. The one-week camp is open to all children, ages 6-13, in the Bay Area and Central Valley. Camper applications are available online at www.campkesem.org/berkeley.
--K. Sibley
Finally! Make environmentally conscious shopping easier - much easier.
BrittG | | 0
Well it's about time that someone finally developed a decent shopping engine for more eco-conscious consumers.
With relationships with relatively progressive brands including Patagonia, Seventh Generation, Herman Miller and Burt's Bees, Sigg, and gDiapers it's a cool way to help guide your purchase decisions.
But where there's real value added is with Greenzer's editorial.
An Earth Friendly Diaper Rundown
BrittG | | 1
With about six thousand diapers being used by one child before they are potty trained, diapers end up causing a large environmental burden. What many don't realize is that they have alternative choices to the conventional retail offerings. You are no longer forced to use cloth diapers if you wish to be environmentally friendly. You now have the option to be environmentally friendly with your diaper choice and still dispose of them when they are dirty.
Cloth Diapers Making A Comeback
It is definitely not the old, white cotton wraps held together by safety pins that your grandmother used to use.
Diaper Services for SF: http://tinytots.com/,
Cloth Diaper Savings Calculator: http://www.diaperpin.com/calculator/calculator.asp
The Four Basic Types of Cloth Diapers: (source: http://www.kellyscloset.com)
1. All in One Cloth Diapers (also known as "AIO"s) - These diapers are the easiest and most leak proof diapers to use and have a built in diaper cover sewn into the cotton or fleece layer. They fasten with snaps or velcro and work like the ease of a disposable. NO diaper cover required.
Brands: Thirsties, bumGenius!, Mommy's Touch, Fuzzi Bunz
2. Fitted or Contoured Cloth Diapers - These diapers are fitted with snaps or velcro and do require a diaper cover. One of the reasons why customers choose these diapers is because they dry faster than the All in One diapers.
Brands: Kissaluvs, Crickett's Hemp Fitted Diapers, Thirsties
3. Pre-fold and Flat Diapers (old-fashioned diapers) - These diapers are wonderful for not only diapering but are used as burp cloths, household clean-ups, and so much more. These diapers need to be fastened with pins or a Snappi and used with a diaper cover. Most of the covers we have available do NOT require the use of pins.
Brands: Chinese Prefold Diapers, Birdseye Cotton Flat Diapers
4. Pocket Cloth Diapers
The three main components of the "Pocket Diapers" are: First, a waterproof outer barrier fabric that is sewn to the second component, an inner moisture-wicking fabric that keeps the skin feeling dry. These two fabrics form a pocket for the third component, an absorbent insert, to be placed. However, the term "Pocket Diapers" is so much more than just two layers of fabric sewn together! Pocket Diapers function in a way that no other diaper has in history.
Brands: Knickernappies, bumGenius!, Fuzzi Bunz
Disposable
Alternative disposable diapers are on the rise (disposable diapers make up the third largest source of solid waste in landfills, after newspapers and food and beverage containers). They give parents the convenience of easy use and disposal, yet still reduce the burden diapers have on the environment.
Brands: 7th Generation, Nature Boy and Girl, Earth Pure, Tushies
Flushable
Now there's a flushable diaper on the market that hopes to make rank diaper pails a thing of the past and help save the planet as well.
Brand: gDiapers consist of a washable, cotton outer “little g” pant and a plastic-free flushable diaper refill. They are made of breathable material just like sports clothing. So, babies stay dry and happy and are far less likely to get diaper rash.
Flush, compost or toss. Can't flush? It's ok to toss our flushable diaper refills because they're plastic-free. Or garden compost the wet ones. They'll break down in 50-150 days.
Do you BYOB?
EllasMom | | 1
BYOB?
Walking around the streets of SF one thing is clear...byob (bring your own bag) is in. Ella and I frequent natural foods and instead of the usual "paper or plastic" question at the check-out counter....now its "do you have a bag".
As the times are clearly changing, it is about time I get with the program - especially since I always feel a pang of guilt when I say "I don't have one."
Green Pillows?
babymomz88 | | 1
My husband and I are ready to replace our bed pillows. We use basic
polyester-filled pillows (the cheapo $5-10 type ones) and tend to replace them about once a year (due to them loosing their fluffiness).
We find these pillows comfortable and planned on just replacing themwith the same things again this year. But then we started to realize that this is a totally ungreen thing to be doing though. There's a whole lot of pillows ending up in a landfill due to us!
Any suggestions on alternative replacements? Pillows that last a long time? Pillows that are better environmentally to manufacture? Or some other suggestion that I'm not thinking about?
Thanks for the help!
Dana
Green Baby Kits
BrittG | | 0
This is a great a site! There are all sorts of green baby products and even tips.
From their site: Think it's difficult to keep a green house, or are you finding it hard to get started? Green-kits takes the guesswork out of choosing the most effective earth friendly cleaning products. We've done the dirty work. You just pick the kit that's right for you.
Visit here: http://www.green-kits.com/babygreenkit.html
